Laser Treatment for Birthmarks

V-Beam Laser Treatments for Birthmarks

We can treat a wide variety of congenital vascular malformations with our light sources.  The conditions we can treat include Rosacea, Port Wine Stains, Hemangiomas, Angiomas, Telangiectasias and much more.  We can also effectively treat freckles and melanin pigment in the skin with the 595 pulsed dye laser.  Treatments are now easier than ever with special cooling techniques and sub-purpuric (no bruising) levels of power.

 

Port Wine Stains

A port-wine stain or naevus flammeus is a vascular birthmark consisting of superficial and deep dilated capillaries in the skin which produce a reddish to purplish discolouration of the skin. They are so called for their colour, resembling that of port wine. It is part of the family of disorders known as vascular malformations.

Port-wine stains are present at birth and persist throughout life. The area of skin affected grows in proportion to general growth. Port-wine stains occur most often on the face but can appear anywhere on the body. Early stains are usually flat and pink in appearance. As the child matures, the color may deepen to a dark red or purplish colour. In adulthood, thickening of the lesion or the development of small lumps may occur.

 

 

---

 

Hemangioma

A hemangioma of infancy is a benign self-involuting tumour of endothelial cells (the cells that line blood vessels). In most cases it appears during the first days or weeks of life and will have resolved at the latest by age 10. In infancy, it is the most common tumor.  Early laser treatment is recommended for these lesions because permanent scarring can occur.

The word "hemangioma" comes from the Greek word hema- (Greek: αίμα) meaning "blood", angeio (Greek: αγγείο) meaning "vessel" and the suffix -oma (Greek: -ωμα) meaning "tumor".

 

 

---

 

Cherry Angioma

Cherry angiomas are made up of clusters of tiny capillaries at the surface of the skin, forming a small round dome ("papule"), which may be flat topped. They range in colour from bright red to purple. When they first develop, they may be only a tenth of a millimeter in diameter and almost flat, appearing as small red dots. However, they then usually grow to about one or two millimeters across, and sometimes to a centimeter or more in diameter. As they grow larger, they tend to expand in thickness, and may take on the raised and rounded shape of a dome. Multiple adjoining angiomas are said to form a polypoid angioma. Because the blood vessels comprising an angioma are so close to the skin's surface, cherry angiomas may bleed profusely if they are injured.

Laser treatment for these lesions is exceptionally safe and effective.  Routine follow-up with maintenance treatments are recommended because they become more numerous with advancing age.